Saturday, August 23, 2008

"My question is - if homeschooling works well for your family, why should anyone really care about your choice? After all, I really don't care much that people put their kids in government school. That's their choice too."

Providing a home school education is not simply a matter of parental choice. In most cases the state education board of the state in which the family resides will have to approve a decision to give a child a home school education. The person taking on the responsibility of homeschooling must be certified to be a home teacher, the curriculum must follow the state curriculum, and the text books and other educational materials to be used must be approved by the state. Although this might seen like undue interference in what is a matter of personal choice, the state has a responsibility to ensure that all children receive an adequate standard of education and checks will be made to ensure that any child being kept away from public school is being properly educated.

No state requires that the person taking on the responsibility of homeschooling be certified to be a home teacher. Each state has their own requirements. Visit State Homeschool Requirements A Breakdown of Each State's Regulations By Charlotte GerberEach state in the U.S. varies in their individual requirements for homeschooling. There are currently four separate categories of state homeschool requirements. They are:1. States requiring no notice - do not require parents to initiate any contact.2. States with low regulation - only require that parents notify the school district that they are homeschooling.3. States with moderate regulation - require parents to provide the school district with notification of intent to homeschool, test scores and provide a professional evaluation of the student's progress.4. States with high regulation - require all of the previously listed information and the states provide the parents with the required curriculum or the parents are required to provide a curriculum for approval. These states also require the parent to allow visits by state officials to check the student's progress.

Ms. Carter states, " the state has a responsibility to ensure that all children receive an adequate standard of education and checks will be made to ensure that any child being kept away from public school is being properly educated."It's too bad that 'they' don't ensure that the children enrolled in public schools are properly educated.The state has no right to interfere in a parents choice to homeschool their children in the absence of abuse or neglect.

A home school education might mean that a child is deprived of certain opportunities which would have been available within the public school system. There could be difficulties in providing facilities for athletic children to realize their potential. Musically talented children could be similarly disadvantaged. In some states there is provision for children receiving a home school education to take part in amenities such as being able to attend sports lessons and join after-school clubs. However, the level of assistance provided to homeschooling parents is not uniform and varies a lot from state to state.

Ms. Carter assumes that without the aid of the state parents can not provide athletic or other opportunities for their children. Nothing could be further from the truth. Homeschoolers often band together so their children can pursue their interest.

The final potential disadvantage to affect children receiving a home school education is that they will not develop the social skills which will be important as they grow up. Social interaction with their peers and with adults outside the family is essential if a child is going to grow up with a properly balance personality and a reasonable level of social skills. These developmental issues can be fairly easily overcome if the child lives in a state where homeschooling parents are given support and the child receiving a home school education is accepted into classes and extra-curricular activities.

Oh please,socializationis so not a problem. Perhaps Ms. Carter should do more research before writing articles.

Some Christian homeschoolers have a problem linking to secular or inclusive homeschool sites. Apparently they are ashamed for their friends to know that they visit inclusive & secular homeschool sites. On the other hand when they see something they like they don't mind posting it on, on their site without giving proper credit to the author. Some of them even have the chutzpah to submit it to the Carnival of Homeschooling where it will attract attention. Apparently it never dawns on them that those pesky secular & inclusive homeschoolers will read the Carnival of Homeschooling and will notice when their friends work has been used without giving proper credit to the author. When we have the nerve to mention who wrote the parody, list or whatever our comments are deleted, how dare we point out they are using someone else's work without giving them credit. Christian Homeschoolers are by no means the only ones guilty of this a secular homeschooler pilfered the Bitter Homeschoolers Wish List giving Deborah Markus yet another reason to be bitter.

So here are some tips for sharing things on your blog:

If you see something you like link to it. Instead of posting the whole thing on your blog give a teaser. For example: I saw this great parody of I Will Survive (the first year of homeschooling) at Natalie Criss' blog Rambling Rants and Remedies ~

First I was afraidI was petrified.Kept thinking I could never teach’Cause I’m not certified.

Be sure to give the authors name and a link to their site. If you can't do that because you don't believe in linking to inclusive or secular sites then as much as you might like their post don't share it on your site. Even if you don't claim it as your own work, not giving credit just isn't right. If you don't know who wrote it do a Google search. A Google search on I Will Survive (the first year of homeshcooling) pulled up these results. Natalie's blog was the very first one, so it is easy enough to find out who wrote the parody.

If you do share something without crediting the author (presumably because you didn't know who the author was), when someone lets you know who the author is acknowledge it and apologize. We all make mistakes and I am sure the author will be understanding. Don't delete the comments and refuse to credit the author. It makes you look small and if you are a Christian blogger it makes you look hypocritical especially when your blog is loaded down with bible verses and how Christian you are.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Natalie Criss wrote a parody of I Will Survive and posted it on her blog Ramblings, Rants, and Remedies. Now it's showing up at Graceful Girlhood (who even submitted it to the CoH ) with no credit being given to Natalie. Properly crediting something is very important and it's one of the things TEACHERS (be they homeschool teachers, public school or private school teachers) should strive to teach their students. Assuming that she just didn't know who to give credit to I left a comment telling her who wrote the parody, did she give Natalie credit. Nope!!!!, she just deleted my comment. What is it with these so called Christian homeschoolers using others work and refusing to give proper credit? Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling Magazine had the same problem with The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List .

At least the writer of Graceful Girlhood had the decency to take the post down since she refused to give Natalie credit for the song.

Welcome Goddesses of Spring

Hail, and welcome! Green life returns to the earth blooming and blossoming once more from the soil. We welcome you,goddesses of spring, Eostre, Persephone, Flora, Cybele, in the trees, in the soil, in the flowers, in the rains, and we are grateful for your presence.

Prayer to the Winter Goddess

O! Mighty goddess, in silvery ice,watching over us as we sleep,a layer of shining white,covering the earth each night,frost on the world and in the soul,we thank you for visiting us.Because of you, we seek warmthin the comfort of our homes and hearths.

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About Alasandra

Former Homeschool MomEldest son has a Masters in Computer ScienceYoungest son has a B.A. Degree in History with a minor in Political Science